(Milton) Kelsey Mitchell’s keirin victory was somewhat clouded by the fall of fellow countrywoman and good friend Lauriane Genest, caused by the fault of reigning world champion Lea Sophie Friedrich, who prevented three participants from completing the grand finale.
Posted at 2:13 p.m.
Updated at 6:44 p.m.
On the penultimate lap, Genest, then fifth, tried to move up the peloton from the outside. Friedrich was then in second place behind Mitchell. For some unknown reason, she veered off her course, causing a devastating domino effect.
Her darting forced the Japanese Yuka Kobayashi to also leave her racing line to her right. So at the height of his rear wheel, Genest could not avoid it. The Dutch Steffie van der Peet, who was just behind Kobayashi was a collateral victim of this collision at high speed.
“Franck (Durivaux, the sprinters coach) showed me the video after the race. Clearly, the German left her corridor and that pushed the Japanese on me. But during the race, I thought it was actually me, ”explained Genest, who only suffers from a few injuries caused by his slip on the floor of the Mattamy National Cycling Center. She also got on her bike to cross the finish line a few minutes after the incident.
“I’m happy to have finished the race and to be able to say that I finished third with the others. »
Photo Peter Power, The Canadian Press
On the penultimate lap, as she tried to climb up from the outside, Genest touched the rear wheel of Japanese Yuka Kobayashi, causing her to crash.
Genest and van der Peet got up on their own, but Kobayashi, whose head hit the ground hard, had to be carried out of the enclosure on a stretcher. It turned out that it was a precautionary measure and she joined his team.
Meanwhile, Mitchell held off Friedrich and Japan’s Mina Sato, who fell to third by default, to win a third medal this weekend, after bronze in the team sprint and silver in the sprint.
“I know falls are part of the sport, but it’s scary and sad to see,” said the winner. It’s been a long time since I was on the podium at the keirin, so it’s a great feeling. »
Mitchell still waited before celebrating her victory, wanting to hear from Genest and the other riders first.
“When I completed my last lap, I saw Lauriane on the ground and that’s not what you want to see. The crowd was still screaming and I knew my chasers were coming down on me, so I had to redouble my efforts to secure my victory. But (to see Lauriane on the ground) made me hesitate for a fraction of a second. This victory gave me mixed emotions. »
If Mitchell got his medal, Friedrich could not touch the silver. Canada and Japan, believing that the German was responsible for all this chaos, lodged a protest with UCI officials. After revising the streak, they relegated Friedrich and promoted Sato to second place. The three riders involved in the swerve finished third, but no bronze medal was distributed.
Genest, bronze medalist at the last Olympic Games in Tokyo and the Glasgow Nations Cup in the keirin, was trying to collect a second medal this weekend after sharing the podium with Mitchell, Sarah Orban and Jackie Boyle in the team sprint and finished at the foot of it in the individual sprint.
Wammes and Dodyk stopped in the eighth
Earlier in the day, Nick Wammes and Ryan Dodyk saw their sprint journey halted in the round of 16.
Wammes was eliminated by the Japanese Kento Yamasaki in his race. Dodyk meanwhile was all smiles after handing over victory to the silver medalist of the last Olympics and Worlds, Dutchman Jeffrey Hoogland, after a spectacular run.
The Albertan was nose to nose with one of the best in his profession, so close in fact that the feet of the two cyclists touched. Dodyk had to slow his pace for a fraction of a second so as not to fall.
Hoogland was beaten in the final by Australia’s Matthew Richardson. Briton Jack Carlin finished third. Wammes and Dodyk officially finish at 10and and 11and ranks.
The Canadian tandem at Madison, Sarah van Dam and Lily Plante, did not really manage to do well, not picking up any points to finish in 11and ranking of the event won by the Italians Elisa Balsamo and Chiara Consonni with 54 points. They beat Australians Alexandra Manly and Chloe Moran (45), as well as Irish Mia Griffin and Alice Sharpe (29).
In the men’s omnium, Jackson Kinniburgh occupied the 14and rank with 50 points after three of the four stages, but he was unable to complete the points race and therefore does not obtain an official classification. His best performance was in the scratch, where he finished 11and and scored 20 points.